Heat-insulated lunch-box.



J. C. SCHLEICHER. HEAT INSULATED LUNCH BOX. APPLIQATION FILED um. 9, 1910.

1,006,135.. Patented oct. 17, 1911.

euren.

JOHN C. SCHLEICHER, 0F MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

HEAT-INSULATED LUNCH-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

Application filed March 9, 1910. Serial No. 548,109.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. ScHLnioI-IER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Vlrestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lleat- Insulated Lunclroxes; and. I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention rela'tes to improvements in sanitary air-tight lunch boxes. l One object of the invention is to provide a lunch box of this character having hollow walls adapted to contain a suitable packing whereby the contents of the box are kept warm for a considerablelength of time-` t f Another object is to provide ay lunch box vof this character having a series of partitions to form compartments and a cover provided with means for forming au air-tight engagement with the sides of the box and the upper edges of the compartments therein.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel` features o f construction` combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described 'and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying.dra-wings, Figure l is a side view of a box constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. Q is partly a top plan view and partly a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a vertical sect-ion on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2'.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l denotes my improved lunch box which may be otl any suitable. size or lshape and which is here shown and is preferably of fiat, rectangular or oblong shape. The bottom and side walls of the box are pret'- erably of double construction, whereby a space is formed between the inner and outer sections otl the wall, said space being provided to receive a suitable packing Q of asbestos or other suitable material, whereby the food in the box is kept warm for a con siderable period of time. The inner portion of the side walls of the box is extended to form an upwardly projecting flange il with which is engaged a suitable cover hereinafter described.

The box l is preferably divided by partitions 4 into a series of compartments 5 0f different sizes and shapes, and which are adapteil to contain various articles of food, knives, forks, spoons and the like. One of the compartments is preferably sub-divided to form a series of smaller compartments 6 adapted to receive condiments and the like.

Adapted to be engaged with the flange 3 on the sides of the box and with the -upper edges of the partitions 4f is a cover 7, which is also of hollow construction and conta-ins packing material 8 similar to t-he packing 2 in the side and bottom walls of 'the box. In the under side of the cover, around the edges thereof, are formed a series of grooves or channels 9, which are adapted to be cngaged with the flanges 3 of the Sides, and with the upper edges of the partitions, and in said grooves or channels are secured suitable packing strips 10, which, when the cover is in place, form an air and fluid tight engagement with said upper edges of the partitions and flanges 3, whereby each compartment is separately or independently closed and the box securely sealed. It will be noted on reference to Fig. 3 thatV the upstandiug flange 3 on the side of the box is disposed inwardly from the outer face of the side so that the cover will rest on the packing l0 in the grooves 9 to support the cover. lll`urthermore, this arrangement locates the groove in the cover at such a point that the flange is entirely surrounded and, consequently, a joint is provided by which access of the outside air to the contents of the lunch box is positively and eiectually prevented.

In order to secure the cover in tight engagement with the box, I' preferably provide a series of fastening screws ll having on their upper ends heads 12 whereby said screws may beyturned by the thumb and linger. The screws are inserted through passages 13 formed in recessed or depressed portions of the cover, and the threaded lower ends of the screws are engaged with threaded apertures formed in fastening plates 14- secured to the bottom and partitions of the box, as shown. The plates llt are preferably depressed at the point where the threaded apertures are formed therein, whereby the inner ends of the screws are guided into or more readily engaged with the threaded apertures in the plates. The said plates 14, it will be noticed` are spaced from the bottom of the box and, conseyor lie tiush with the upper side of the cover,

so that no obstruction is provided by the projection of the heads. By thus countersinking the heads l2 ofthe screws, a series of boxes may be stacked upon each other and thus more closely packed together for transportation, and, in order to hold the boxes against lateral slipl'iing` or disengagement when thus stacked upon each other, l preferably provide angle iron stop brackets 15,whieh are secured to-each corner ot the cover, as shown, said brackets projecting i a sufficient distance above the cover to receive the adjacent boxes forming the stack.

By means of a lunch box constructed as herein shown and described, the food placed therein will be vkept warm and in a sanitary1 condition and may be transported to any desired distance without danger of spilling the food 'from thebox or from one compartment intofanother., A box of this character will be found advantageous in carrying lunches' on automobile trips, picnics or :for Ythe use ot a caterer in delivering lunches or meals.

It will be noted that the fastening screws are spaced inward from the walls and corners ot the'box so as `to exert `a closing` pressure on the cover adjacent .the partitionswherebyithe cover is dra wn lirrnly into engagement with the partitions and the packing in the cover `compressed thereover to form an air-tight joint therewith. a result, the. odor or viiavor'o the food in one compartment cannot enterv any other conipartment .and atleet the taste of the food therein. Thepartic-ular construction ot' the fastening iprovides a simple and inexpensive device whereby the covermay be easily 'and rapidly seeurediin place ,Withoutfthe use of `heavybearings orfguides. 'My `box is intended -tocontain afeomplete meal for one person so that Jthe ymealean rbe eaten from the box without being handled by other persons and a largo nun'iber of the boxes may be arranged within a wagon without any liabil ity of any of them sliding out of place and causing a loss of the contents. lt will, consequently, be found especially advantageous by caterers.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with. the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

llaving'thus described my invention, what l claim is Z Vside lwalls to provide a continuous space adapted to receive a packing therein, said box also having a plurality et spaced parti tions to torni separate compartments `within the bo'x, the inner side walls and partitions vbeing extended above the outer' side .walls of the box, angular plates secured to the inner wall of `the bottom and the partitions so as to form braces for said partitions, the horizontal portions of said plates having deopenings therein, a eover'having a double wall with packing therein, and provided with a series of grooves also having packing therein which are 'adapted to Contact with the upwardly extended side wallsand partitions, said cover also having perforated depressions therein, rods having screw threaded lower ends adapted to be inserted inthe openings of the depressions of said cover and :the screw threaded openings in the depressed portions of the plates, said rods having thunilo nuts on :their upper ends so as to operate the saine, said thumb nuts adapted to be inclosed Awithin the depressions of the cover when saidcover is secured to .the box, and said depressed portions ot ,aoHN o. yserinnerten lVitnesses JOHN J. MeDoNALD, FREDERICK A. VVrrKov- A. lunch box having a double bottom and pressions prof'ided with screw threaded' the lplates servingas a means to guide the 

